MONACO (AP) — Beijing has been confirmed as the host of the 2015 world athletics championships.
Beijing was the sole candidate after London withdrew its bid earlier this month because of uncertainty over the future of the 2012 Olympic Stadium.
Following a meeting of the IAAF council on Saturday, IAAF president Lamine Diack said “to help build up our sport and the culture of athletics in a country of 1.6 billion inhabitants is a great opportunity. As we sometimes say, China is not a country, it’s a continent.”
Beijing will hold the 2015 event at the Bird’s Nest, the main stadium for the 2008 Olympics.
Beijing will be the fourth Asian city to host the world athletics championships after Tokyo in 1991, Osaka in 2007 and Daegu, South Korea, the venue for 2011.
